The girl – who deputies initially thought appeared to be 10 — had escaped through a window and contacted authorities on a deactivated cellphone, Riverside County sheriff’s Capt. Greg Fellows said at a Tuesday news conference.

Dr. Sophia Grant, medical director of Child Abuse and Neglect at Riverside University Heath System, about the child-abuse case involving 13 captive siblings in a Perris home during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Perris. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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Director of Department of Public Social Services Susan von Zabern speaks about the child-abuse case involving 13 captive siblings in a Perris home during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Perris. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

City of Perris Mayor Michael Vargas speaks to the media regarding the case involving 13 captive siblings in a Perris home during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Perris.(Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Capt. Greg Fellows, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Perris Station Commander, prepares for a briefing regarding the case involving 13 captive siblings in a Perris home at the start of a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Perris. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Dr. Sophia Grant, medical director of Child Abuse and Neglect at Riverside University Heath System, about the child-abuse case involving 13 captive siblings in a Perris home during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Perris. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Director of Department of Public Social Services Susan von Zabern speaks about the child-abuse case involving 13 captive siblings in a Perris home during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Perris. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Director of Department of Public Social Services Susan von Zabern speaks about the child-abuse case involving 13 captive siblings in a Perris home during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018, in Perris. (Stan Lim, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Willison on Tuesday noted that on many phones a person can call 911 even if he or she does not know the passcode.

The 17-year-old showed deputies photographs that convinced them of her report that her 12 brothers and sisters between the ages of 2 and 29 were being held against their will, Fellows said.

The phone call led to deputies on Sunday finding three siblings chained and padlocked to furniture.

The victims appeared dirty and malnourished, authorities have said, and were so emaciated that deputies were shocked to discover that seven were 18 or older.

Arrested in the case were David Allen Turpin, 56, and Louise Ann Turpin, 49, on suspicion of nine counts of torture and 10 counts of child endangerment, booking logs show. Bail was set at $9 million each.

Prosecutors were awaiting receipt of the Turpin case from sheriff’s investigators Tuesday afternoon, District Attorney spokesman John Hall said.

With the Monday holiday, the 48-hour in-custody deadline for arraignment would be Thursday, if the Turpins are charged, Hall said.

Investigators asked that anyone with information on the case contact Master Investigator Tom Salisbury at the Perris station at 951-210-1000 or PerrisStation@RiversideSheriff.org.

Child Protective Services had not previously visited the residence, said Susan von Zabern, director of the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services at Tuesday’s news conference.

The children, who were being homeschooled, were rarely seen, some neighbors said.

The adults – five women and two men — are being treated at Corona Regional Medical Center and are being kept together.

“The way our staff responded, they were horrified,” said hospital CEO Mark Uffer.

“It’s hard to think of them as adults when you first see them. They’re small and it’s very clear that they’re (malnourished). … They’re stable, they’re being fed, they’re comfortable and they’re in a very safe and secure environment and I think that’s the most important thing for them right now,” Uffer said.

‘FEELS LIKE A DREAM’

A day after authorities announced that 13 captive siblings were rescued from a Perris house, area residents are still in disbelief that it could happen in their neighborhood.

“It still feels like a dream, it’s not reality,” said Perris resident Ricardo Ross on Tuesday, adding: “I woke up this morning and it’s just devastating. Devastating news.”

Tonya Holt’s first thought was the case couldn’t have happened in her neighborhood. To her shock, the case was nearby.

“It’s a very fearful feeling that this could be going on right next to anyone,” Holt said, “and (the suspects) can shield it so easily and no one else could know.”

Holt said she believes more transparency and communication between residents and police could help prevent such incidents in the future.

Rosemberg Salgado has lived across the street from the Turpins since August 2016.

“You would have never thought in this kind of neighborhood you could find out that there was some people who can do that to kids,” he said. ““that is just insane and crazy; how can you have the heart to do that to kids. I’m in shock, to be honest. I’m speechless.”

In Murrieta, where the Turpins previously lived, no one answered the door. A charcoal pickup truck sat in the driveway.

Berta Ornelas, who lives across the street from the residence, said she has lived in her home for five years but had never seen the family.

SIBLINGS’ FUTURE

The siblings in the case will likely face a long rehabilitation both physically and psychologically, Sophia Grant, medical director of child abuse and neglect unit at Riverside University Health System, said Tuesday.

While Grant did not treat the siblings, she spoke generally about people who suffered similarly to the 13 Perris siblings who deputies initially believed to be all children.

Stunting of growth, in general, would have been caused by malnourishment over “a prolonged period,” Grant said. The recovery will be gradual, she said.

“You can imagine the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder if you’ve been deprived of nutrition over a prolonged period of time,” she said. “If you’ve been deprived of normal childhood activities, normal interactions and the people who should have been providing for you have failed to do so, that is going to cause some psychological damage.”

“Children who have been malnourished over a prolonged period will have growth stunting, will have nutritional deficiencies, they can suffer complications if you try to feed them so it requires close monitoring them when introducing proper nutrition to these kids,” she said, adding: “The psychological support is going to be ongoing and longterm.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct David Turpin’s age and Louise Turpin’s middle name.

People bicycle past a house in the 100 block of Muir Woods Road in Perris on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. Authorities say 13 siblings had been held captive there until one of them escaped and called 911 Sunday morning, leading to their parents’ arrest. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Neighbors stand across the street from the house at 160 Muir Woods Road in Perris on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. Twelve siblings, some chained to their beds, were rescued after a 13th sister escaped Sunday morning. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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Media trucks line the 100 block of Muir Woods Road in Perris on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, following the arrest of David and Louise Turpin on suspicion of torture and child endangerment. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Media crews set up Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, in front of the house on Muir Woods Road in Perris where authorities say 13 siblings had been held captive. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Neighbors gather Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, to share photos they took of a house in the 100 block of Muir Woods Road in Perris where 13 siblings who authorities say were being held captive were found the day before. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Authorities say this house Muir Woods Road in a middle-class suburban neighborhood of Perris was dark and foul-smelling inside, with several children shackled to their beds as their parents allegedly held their 13 children, ages 2 to 29, captive. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Neighbors stand across the street from the house at 160 Muir Woods Road in Perris on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. Twelve siblings, some chained to their beds, were rescued after a 13th sister escaped Sunday morning. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Neighbors gather Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, to share photos they took of a house in the 100 block of Muir Woods Road in Perris where 13 siblings who authorities say were being held captive were found the day before. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Neighbors stand outside the house on Muir Woods Road in Perris on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, where 12 siblings, some chained to their beds, were rescued after a 13th sister escaped Sunday morning. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

A car drives past the house on Muir Woods Road in Perris on Monday, Jan. 15, 2018, where 12 siblings, some chained to their beds, were rescued after a 13th sister escaped Sunday morning. (Photo by Andrew Foulk for The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Brian Rokos writes about public safety issues such as policing, criminal justice, scams, how law affects public safety, firefighting tactics and wildland fire danger. He has also covered the cities of San Bernardino, Corona, Norco, Lake Elsinore, Perris, Canyon Lake and Hemet. Before that he supervised reporters and worked as a copy editor. For some reason, he enjoys movies where the Earth is threatened with extinction.

Shane Newell joined The Press-Enterprise in October 2017. He covers Canyon Lake, Corona, Lake Elsinore, Temecula, Murrieta and Wildomar. He was a community reporter covering Aliso Viejo and Laguna Niguel for the Orange County Register from September 2016 to September 2017. He graduated from Stanford University in 2016 with a master's degree in communication. He earned his bachelor's in journalism from Long Beach State in 2015. Among his favorite stories were his 2016 feature on Monday Morning Quarterback's Peter King and his life as one of the nation's most prolific NFL reporters and a 2017 look at the Riverside roots of Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes.